TOP 10 Most Read Thought Leaders of 2023 in Carbon

Discover also our 2024 ranking of the Most Read Thought Leaders in the Carbon, or enjoy our Thought Leader rankings of 2023 on Climate Change, ESG, Social Responsibility, Energy and Overall. Explore how this year’s leaders compare to the most influential carbon voices of 2022!

We are proud to present the most-read Thought Leaders on Carbon worldwide, as recognized by illuminem, the leading platform in sustainability information and the largest expert network in the industry with 200,000+ loyal users and 1,300+ engaged Thought Leaders.

The individuals listed below are exemplary leaders and experts in the fields of Carbon, including Carbon Removal, Carbon Capture & Storage, and Carbon Markets. This community includes entrepreneurs, academics, and policy-makers, all working towards a common objective: spreading knowledge to empower the sustainable transition. 

Please help us congratulate the TOP 10 Sustainability Thought Leaders in Carbon!

1️⃣ Robert Höglund - Advisor for Marginal Carbon, Member of Expert Group on Carbon Removals for the European Commission
Country: Sweden
Most-Read Thought Piece: When do sales of carbon removal credits benefit the climate?
Profile: Robert Höglund is an Advisor in carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and climate impact. He manages the charitable Milkywire Climate Transformation Fund, co-founded the CDR market overview CDR.fyi, works with the NGO Carbon Gap, and writes reports and articles on carbon removal and corporate climate contributions. He is also a member of the EU Expert Group on Carbon Removals and of the Science-based Target Initiative's (SBTi) Technical Advisory Group.

2️⃣ Eve Tamme - Founder of Climate Principles, fmr. Chair, Working Party on the Environment, Council of the European Union
Country: Estonia
Most-Read Thought Piece: The convergence of the voluntary and compliance carbon markets
Profile: Eve Tamme is a Director of Climate Principles and senior advisor on climate policy. She is also a member of the Expert Group on Carbon Removals of the European Commission and chair of the Zero Emissions Platform. Her expertise covers the Paris Agreement, the EU Emissions Trading System, carbon markets, climate governance, and carbon removal.

3️⃣ Julio Friedmann - Chief Scientist at Carbon Direct
Country: United States of America
Most-Read Thought Piece: On the IPCC AR6 WGIII report: why carbon removal is an essential part of meeting climate goals​
Profile: Dr. Julio Friedmann is Chief Scientist and Chief Carbon Wrangler at Carbon Direct. He served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy at the US Department of Energy, and as a Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA.

4️⃣ Simon Göß - CEO of carboneer
Country: Germany
Most-Read Thought Piece: Implications of the carbon border adjustment mechanism for the iron & steel sector in the EU
Profile: Simon Göß is the CEO of Carboneer, a company focused on supporting organisations to navigate carbon markets, CBAM, climate strategies and carbon management. He is also a carbon strategy Advisor and energy transition Consultant at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and a certified trader and trainer at the European Energy Exchange.

5️⃣ Yusuf Jameel - Fmr. Research Scientist at the @Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Scientist at Project Drawdown
Country: India
Most-Read Thought Piece: Thinking of investing in carbon dioxide removal? think again.
Profile: Dr. Yusuf Jameel is an Associate Scientist at Project Drawdown with special expertise in water resources, public health, data analytics, and science communication. He has worked as a scientist for the University of Utah, the University of Florida, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

6️⃣ Bashir Dan - CEO of Stack Carbon, Member of UNEP’s Youth Task Force
Country: Uganda
Most-Read Thought Piece: Debunking The Guardian’s misleading claims on REDD+ and voluntary carbon markets
Profile: Bashir Dan is the CEO of Stack Carbon, a carbon asset developer and management company. He is also a founding Member of the Green Guild Foundation, and a member of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Youth Task Force.

7️⃣ Tommy Ricketts - CEO and co-founder of BeZero Carbon
Country: United Kingdom
Most-Read Thought Piece: Carbon isn’t just another commodity market
Profile: Tommy Ricketts is CEO and co-founder of global carbon ratings agency BeZero Carbon. He has wide experience in politics and the banking sector as former Vice President of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, policy advisor for the British Bankers'​ Association, and Senior Account Executive for Westbourne Communications.

8️⃣ Ning Zeng - Co-founder and Head of Science at Carbon Lockdown Project, Professor at the University of Maryland
Country: United States of America
Most-Read Thought Piece: Implementing a new, promising approach to carbon removal: why we need to evaluate wood harvesting and storage at scale
Profile: Dr. Ning Zeng is a Professor at the University of Maryland, and the co-founder and Head of Science at Carbon Lockdown Project. He is a 3-time contributor to the IPCC report and is on the Reuters List of Top Climate Scientists. Dr. Zeng has been a visiting scientist and professor at top institutions such as MIT, NASA, UCLA, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Beijing, China. 

9️⃣ Venna Lepel - CCO of Novocarbo, Board Member of the Negative Emissions Platform
Country: Germany
Most-Read Thought Piece: Misleading discussion on CO₂ storage: why the distinction between CDR and CCS matters
Profile: Venna Lepel is CCO/CMO of Novocarbo, a biochar carbon removal company where she is in charge of the Carbon Credit Business Unit. Venna is also a board member of the Negative Emissions Platform in Brussels, and has wide experience as a Strategic Planner and Consultant for companies like FCB Global, Meta Design, kleiner und bold, and Lepel Consult.

🔟 Christiaan Gevers Deynoot - Senior Manager for Tech CDR Initiatives at South Pole, Secretary General of the CCS+ Initiative
Country: Belgium
Most-Read Thought Piece: The first step to building a new carbon management economy is carbon accounting
Profile: Christiaan Gevers Deynoot is the Secretary General of the CCS+ Initiative and Senior Manager for Tech CDR Initiatives at South Pole. In this capacity, he supports the NextGen CDR Facility on policy and advocacy, while delivering high-quality consultancy mandates on tech CDR and CCS.

To the most read sustainability thought leaders in carbon, congratulations on your well-deserved recognition. Your commitment to excellence has set a high standard for us all, and we are excited to see the continued growth and innovation that will undoubtedly define the future of sustainability initiatives in 2024.

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